Should Your Company Broadcast? Read This First

As TV and digital identities merge, stories that become popular are undergoing a sea of change. The way we consume content is also changing. Netflix, for example, reports some 67 percentof viewers tuning in from their mobiles last year. Not only must content producers appeal to a time-pressed demographic that increasingly consumes its content in bite-sized snacks on the go, but must build greater appeal for the growing set of niche interests as well.

Ancestry has created a giant marketing accomplishment with "Who Do You Think You Are?

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As with many aspects of PR, change means opportunity. As consumer-valued content is on the rise, and brands are increasingly producing high quality video content as part of their overall narrative, it is vital to navigate the evolving digital climate with skill.

Says Justin Ching, Asian American director/producer: “Know your audience. Niche is the new mass market. Gone are the days when you can appeal to everyone with your content because of audience fragmentation.”

Ching is a producer behind the hit Amazon Exclusive Series, Ritual. He is also the Founder of j-school, a production company that specializes in shining a light on diverse communities and minority groups. Additionally, he’s an award-winning showrunner at FOX, where he was responsible for shows such as “Z Dream,” starring Sung Kang of “Fast & Furious” fame.

Additional advice from Ching about the age of digital transformation:

Hone In on a Well-Defined Target. In the new arena, brands are no longer forced to appeal to a mass audience. Instead, they have more freedom to focus on great stories that will resonate deeply with a core group. “There is a reason buyers are beating the drum of diversity and looking for minority-driven content,” says Ching. “Minority audiences are known quantities, ripe for the taking.”

Audience fragmentation, however, presents problems as well as opportunities. It’s harder to create content that will appeal to all as mediums become increasingly niche. But on the positive side, producers can work with a lower budget to create something that appeals to a loyal and highly targeted group. The Duffer brothers’ hit show Stranger Things, is a case in point. Stranger Things was rejected by 15 networks before finding a home on Netflix; however with its high appeal to a well-defined target audience it has won awards and driven new subscriptions for Netflix.

Use New Media Models To Break Into Tradition. Creating content for digital channels doesn’t have to pigeonhole you into that format. In fact, many brands are shopping their series to traditional networks and finding success, such as Ancestry’s “Who Do You Think You Are” on TLC.

While you may need to respect the nuances of the platform (Snapchat calls for different content than Amazon, for example), Ching believes that fundamentally “good storytelling is good storytelling,” and has every chance of crossing over from digital into the traditional media realm.

“Digital has empowered my success while opening doors for me in traditional media,” he says. “My two biggest projects in development are for a premium cable network and a leading culinary network. Being good at digital hasn't pigeonholed me to new media platforms. Rather, it caught the attention of traditional networks who need to adapt with the changing times and face the future."

The landscape is evolving too: It’s not an either/or decision to work with broadcast vs. Netflix and Hulu. There are streaming services that target smartphones exclusively such as go90 and Blue Fever, and new technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality. These require a new type of storytelling, explains Digital Trendseditor in chief Jeremy Kaplan.

“Creating content for these platforms is an entirely different form of art,” Kaplan says. “Screen size dictates how much information can be fit onto a screen, and new platforms like virtualreality require a different form of narrative. Is a director really directing in virtual reality, when a viewer’s attention dictates the camera’s position?”

Address Systemic Problems in Media. The current headlines on Hollywood “whitewashing” loom loud. For example, Asian characters made up less than 4 percentof movies and shows in the 2014/2015 season. Worse still, when Asian American actors land a role, it’s often to fill a highly stereotyped ideal. Other ethnicities and cultural representation are significant issues as well.

But according to Ching, the problems behind the camera are even more serious. "If you thought Asian American representation on-screen is bad,” says Ching, “representation for leadership roles behind the camera is even worse. This is something that the public often overlooks. The people in power off-camera decide what stories are told and who is cast, so critiquing the number of good roles for Asian American actors, albeit a valiant effort, is often too-late in solving the real systemic problems.”

Ching’s suggestion to all: Create content that will enable minorities to participate and see themselves actually reflected in the material, rather than just benched in supporting roles, or non-speaking parts. Address the under-representation and you’ll create a stronger relationship with your target.

Stay Niche While Widening Your Net. "As an Asian American, I credit my success to building bridges with other underrepresented groups such as other ethnicities, women, and the LGBTQ community, who have elevated my career in so many ways. This is why I'm dedicated to the larger intersectional coalition of minority groups as opposed to just my own ethnic community."

Creating content that appeals to your niche while widening your net may mean casting one popular actor, or character other audiences can relate to, or blending genres, like House of Cards, or Daredevil. There will always be crossover between audiences, and you can stay focused on your niche, while reaching out to other groups as well.

Stay True to Your Mission. Finally, the most important piece of advice Ching provides to entrepreneurs is to stay true to your mission. Don’t shift your focus at the first barrier or rejection. "Focusing on niche audiences has made me a better storyteller,” he says. “In the past, people in my job could paint with broad strokes and be successful. But in the current landscape, I'm just as much a surgeon as a painter. I need to be more sensitive, informed, and precise with my point of view. I can't make any choice, I have to make the right choice."

What does this advice mean for small business, and large? For smaller ventures, start with a greater eye to visual content. For example, a popular podcast could evolve to a greater level with a transition to video delivery. For larger budgets and organizations, there is an opportunitiy to think bigger than before with an eye to outcomes such as specialized programs like Ancestry’s “Who Do You Think You Are?” or the CBS series “Scorpion,” which is an outgrowth of the real life Scorpion Computer Services and its counterpart “Consierge Up.” (The premier episode of Scorpion, now completing its fourth season, resulted in more than 2,000 pre-funded projects for the Scorpion company, according to the real-life Walter O’Brien). Beyond written content, what could video and visual production be doing for you?

Information about Cheryl Snapp Conner's Content University program to help businesses and executives tell their stories better is available here.